Secrets & Lies
by KiNGz-FAn-16
Summary: Rory was there on the night of Jess’s death, but when she thinks back to that night, her mind is a blur. She then goes on a search to find the guy who killed Jess, but she discovers shocking news that leads her to rethink everything…(FINISHED)
1. Nightmares

TitleSecrets & Lies (Chapter 1Nightmares)

by KiNGz-Fan-16 

Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, I don't own _Gilmore Girls_, nor do I have the intention of. The show belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino, although I have to say, _Gilmore Girls_ is the best show!!! 

Rating: PG…I think. Oy with the poodles already, I'm not good with ratings!

Summary: Rory was there on the night of Jess's death, but when she thinks back to that night, her mind is a blur. She then goes on a search to find the guy who killed Jess, but she discovers shocking news that leads her to rethink everything…

*~*

***

"Empty out the drawer! Now!"

Rory stood rooted to her spot in front of the counter as the masked robber pointed a gun straight at her. "But I don't—"

The robber cocked his gun. "I said NOW!"

Rory gulped and scrambled behind the counter, looking at the buttons frantically. "Damnit," she muttered.

Just then, Jess came downstairs to the diner. "OK Rory, Luke said you—"

"Jess, get down!" Rory yelled as she dropped to her hands and knees.

BANG!

Rory screamed, but luckily Jess wasn't hurt. He had managed to duck in time, plus the bullet had been a bit off because the robber had panicked at Jess's entrance, causing him to miss.

Rory ran over to Jess as Jess pushed her aside a little. "What the hell do you want?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Just the money, Mariano," the stranger said knowingly. He stepped closer and closer to Jess and Rory. 

Jess eyed the guy suspiciously. "Do I know you?"

The guy laughed. "You don't remember? Last year? In New York." Jess still remained puzzled. The guy shook his head. "Cheryl Martin?" 

Jess's eyes widened in recognition. "Wait, you're…"

"Yep. You took my girl, Mariano," the stranger said as he eyed Rory. He held his gun up at Rory's forehead. "So now I'm gonna take yours."

"Jess…"Rory whispered scared.

"You stole my girlfriend," the guy said angrily. "And then you had the nerve to just leave New York."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jess demanded.

"Well, it just so happens I got a tip from 'someone' that you moved to some crap town in Connecticut called 'Stars Hollow', and I knew that this was my chance for payback." He turned to Rory, still holding up the gun to her head. "And I know just how to." Jess tensed as the guy grinned and cocked the gun. "Any last words?" he whispered.

Suddenly, Jess lunged towards the guy, knocking over him and Rory.

The gun flew out of the stranger's hand and onto the floor by the door. Jess and the stranger were struggling against each other, yet all three were also trying to reach the gun first…

***

Rory's eyes immediately flew open and she sat up in a cold sweat. She quickly glanced her surroundings and was able make out the shapes of things around her because of the tiny sliver of moonlight peeking through her bedroom window.

A dream, Rory thought. It was all just a dream… Rory closed her eyes, but the loud noises from that night floated to the surface of her mind as they echoed mockingly…

***

BANG!

Jess collapsed on the ground in a pool of blood. Rory's eyes widened and she rushed over to him. She took one look at his pale face and dead eyes before she let out a shrill scream. Rory quickly turned around, expecting to look into the eyes of the murderer, but instead found herself staring at an open door…

***

It felt too real to be just a dream and Rory knew it. She switched on the light and the room illuminated itself. She slowly walked over to her desk, saw the newspaper clippings, and immediately knew that what happened wasn't just a dream.

Rory picked up one of the only photos she had of both of them together. Kirk had taken it when they weren't looking. It was of them sitting on the bridge after the basket auction.

She stared long and hard at the picture until she began to sob uncontrollably. She put the picture under her pillow and let the tears fall freely as she came to the realization that he was gone—

Jess Mariano had died saving her. Rory lay in her bed and cried herself to sleep with just one thought reeling in her mind: It was all my fault… 


	2. Scared

TitleSecrets & Lies (Chapter 2Scared)

by KiNGz-Fan-16 

Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, I don't own _Gilmore Girls_, nor do I have the intention of. The show belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino, although I have to say, _Gilmore Girls_ is the best show!!! 

Rating: PG…I think. Oy with the poodles already, I'm not good with ratings!

Summary: Rory was there on the night of Jess's death, but when she thinks back to that night, her mind is a blur. She then goes on a search to find the guy who killed Jess, but she discovers shocking news that leads her to rethink everything…

*~*

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Lorelai stared at the clock on the kitchen wall. "That second hand is just mocking me," she muttered. She got out of her chair and went to Rory's closed bedroom door. "Rory? You up yet?"

"No," came Rory's clear reply.

"Ror, hon, come out. We need to talk."

The door opened and Lorelai saw that Rory was still in her pajamas; her hair a mess. "We don't _have_ to talk," Rory said.

"OK…" Lorelai answered surprised. "Then what _do_ we have to do?"

"W-we have to go to Luke's," Rory decided.

"Oh, sorry, we can't," Lorelai said seriously.

"Why not? I think I can handle it, and I'm pretty sure Luke would appreciate us there." 

"No, I mean really. We can't go to Luke's. It's a crime scene so the diner's closed."

Rory's eyes watered up and she slammed her bedroom door closed. Lorelai pressed her ear against the door gently and heard Rory's muffled cries. Lorelai knocked twice then let herself in.

Rory was lying on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. She looked up at Lorelai as she came in. "Mom…"

"Please Rory, you're gonna have to tell me what really happened that night," Lorelai pleaded. 

Rory sat up slowly. "I don't want to…" she mumbled.

Lorelai sat down next to Rory put her hand on Rory's shoulder. "I know it's gonna be hard, but you have to not only tell me what happened, but you have to tell the police. It's been two days since the incident and you were the only witness. So please…Let's go talk to the police."

Rory wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed. The images of Jess's lifeless body came back to her and she started to cry all over again. 

Lorelai hugged her and took her arm gently. "Come on," she said softly as she stood up.

"No, Mom—" Rory began.

"Honey, the police aren't going to be able to find Jess's murderer until you tell them what you remember."

"I'm scared," whispered Rory. "I don't know why…I don't want to be and I shouldn't, but I am."

After a few minutes, Rory finally gave in and she and Lorelai started on their walk to Luke's just like old times, only this time the walk seemed to take forever.


	3. Facts

TitleSecrets & Lies (Chapter 3Facts)

by KiNGz-Fan-16 

Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, I don't own _Gilmore Girls_, nor do I have the intention of. The show belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino, although I have to say, _Gilmore Girls_ is the best show!!! 

Rating: PG…I think. Oy with the poodles already, I'm not good with ratings!

Summary: Rory was there on the night of Jess's death, but when she thinks back to that night, her mind is a blur. She then goes on a search to find the guy who killed Jess, but she discovers shocking news that leads her to rethink everything…

*~*

Yellow police tape surrounded the area around Luke's and police officers were walking around everywhere.

As Lorelai and Rory neared Luke's, a female officer with short brown hair walked over to them. Rory vaguely remembered her from the night of the murder. She had been the first officer on the scene. 

"Hello Ms. Gilmore," the officer said to Lorelai.

"Hi Officer Green," Lorelai greeted.

"And Rory, how are you feeling?" Officer Green asked, referring to the fact that Rory had thrown up before they could really question her.

"Fine," Rory mumbled. She cleared her throat and jumped in before she changed her mind. "Officer, I think I'm ready to talk about…" She took a deep breath and took that jump. "…about Jess."

* * * * *

Once they were all seated inside of Luke's, Rory took a deep breath, glanced around the empty diner, and began:

"Mom and I were going to watch _Willy-Wonka_ again, but we needed snacks, so I volunteered to go to Doose's. Before I reached the market, I saw Luke coming out of the diner…"

***

_"Luke, hey."_

_Luke turned around and spotted Rory. "Hi. What're you doing out so late?"_

_"Just getting a bunch of junk food for our movie night!" Rory replied smiling. She peered into the diner. "Slow business?"_

_"I closed the diner a little early. I had to get to the bank and Jess was the only one left to watch the diner since Caesar had the night off…and well, God knows what Jess might do."_

_"Oh, yeah, um…Is Jess upstairs now?"_

_Luke nodded. "Yeah, he should be." He put his hands in his jacket pockets. "Oh, crap, I forgot my wallet upstairs. Hey, if you want to talk to Jess, I can get him for you."_

_Rory was about to say no, but Luke was already opening the diner back open and motioning her in. "Okay then…"_

***

"…So we went back inside the diner and Luke went upstairs. When he came back down, he told me that Jess would be right down, so I figured I'd wait. Anyways, Luke left and I was sitting in the diner by myself. The lights were sort of dim and my back was to the door, but then I heard it open again. I turned around, thinking it was Luke, but instead I saw this guy wearing a mask…and he was holding a gun…" Rory stopped.

"And then?" Office Green asked intrigued.

Rory lowered her eyes and muttered, "I don't really remember that much," she lied guiltily, as she thought about her dream. "It was a blur, really." That part wasn't really a lie. She didn't remember a lot actually. "I just remember…Jess…jumping at him so that guy wouldn't shoot me. Then the next thing I remember…Jess is…lying on the floor…" Again, the horrific images of Jess's dead body came back. Fighting back tears, Rory whispered weakly, "…dead. A-and the shooter was…gone…"

Officer Green nodded and proceeded with questioning. "Why did you decide to wait for Jess when you didn't want to be there in the first place?"

"Oh, it's not like I _didn't_ want to be there. I stayed because…" Rory thought. _Why did I want to talk to Jess_, she wondered. Out loud, she responded, "I don't know. I guess, because…well, things have been sort of strained between us lately, so I wanted to clear some things up." Lorelai glanced at Rory curiously, but Rory ignored her.

"Can you give me a description of the shooter?"

"Well, he was wearing a mask so I could only see his eyes, nose, and mouth…and the diner was dim so I couldn't really tell what color his eyes were. I don't think I would remember even if I could see him clearly. I was really scared."

"Was he tall? Short? Thin? Heavyset?"

Rory racked her brain. "Tall and…well, not really thin, but not on the heavier side."

"OK." Officer Green asked some simple questions next, then finally, thanking the Gilmores, stood up to leave. Before Lorelai and Rory set off for home, Officer Green asked Rory, "Is there anything else I should know?"

Rory's mind immediately flashed back to that night and she instantly remembered that Jess and the guy had known each other. _Something about someone named Cheryl Martin_, she thought.

"Ror?" Lorelai asked, breaking Rory's thoughts.

"Huh?" Rory quickly turned to Officer Green. Rory wanted to scream "Yes! There is something you should know!"…but she didn't know why. She didn't know why she wasn't saying anything else. "Um, no," Rory said decisively. "No…There's nothing else."


	4. Choices

TitleSecrets & Lies (Chapter 4Choices)

by KiNGz-Fan-16 

Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, I don't own _Gilmore Girls_, nor do I have the intention of. The show belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino, although I have to say, _Gilmore Girls_ is the best show!!! 

Rating: PG…I think. Oy with the poodles already, I'm not good with ratings!

Summary: Rory was there on the night of Jess's death, but when she thinks back to that night, her mind is a blur. She then goes on a search to find the guy who killed Jess, but she discovers shocking news that leads her to rethink everything…

*~*

"Honey, say something please. Your silence is scaring Mommy," Lorelai said lightly. 

Rory remained silent.

"OK, this isn't natural," Lorelai muttered.

"Sorry," Rory said. "I'm just thinking."

"About?…"

"Everything," Rory replied shrugging. "I don't know. I'm just thinking about…_stuff_."

There was a long silence when Lorelai finally spoke up. "You didn't want to come, did you?"

Rory shook her head. "No, it's not that! It's just…" She sighed. "Mom, it's a _funeral_. I don't like seeing all those people crying and I don't like deaths in general." _Especially this one_, she thought silently. 

Lorelai nodded slowly. "No one likes that stuff but we deal," Lorelai said as she pulled into an open parking space. "'Cuz that's the only thing to do: deal."

There was another silence. Rory turned to Lorelai. "I told Luke yes."

Lorelai smiled. "That's good. You know how Luke is at giving speeches. I'm glad you're gonna be saying it." Rory smiled back, then sighed heavily as they got out of the car.

Rory remained silent as they walked towards the cemetery. Luke had decided to make the funeral short, so they had skipped the thing at the church and proceeded with the readings and speeches at the cemetery. 

The whole ceremony passed as a blur for Rory. Everything was changing so fast and she didn't know how she was going to deal. The cold February breezes came and went as the funeral passed on until finally, it was Rory's turn to say something. She stood up, walked to the podium, and looked out at the people there.

Rory saw familiar faces and some she didn't know. There was her mom, Luke, and most of the people from Stars Hollow who knew that this was a tough time for Luke. Dean had even showed up for moral support for Rory. Then there were the ones she didn't know, but assumed that they were Jess's friends and family from New York. Rory cleared her throat and looked down at the podium. She then just realized that she hadn't written a speech. Of all the stupid things she had done before, this takes the cake. There was no speech, and here she was standing in front of a bunch of people who were just _waiting_.

_Don't panic, don't panic!_ Rory gulped and suddenly she remembered something she had heard once: _Just say what you feel. Whatever comes from the heart._ Rory opened her mouth and launched into the deep feelings hidden down in her heart:

"Many of you thought you knew Jess Mariano, but you didn't really. Many of you saw and knew him as a 'bad boy' rebel who only knew how to pull pranks, but you never really gave him a chance. If you _had_ given him the benefit of the doubt then you could have been lucky enough to see what I saw. Jess was…smart, understanding, brave, and he had a great sense of humor. All in all, he was a wonderful person, but I doubt many of you saw what was inside of him and judged him instead by the way he acted, but his behavior and attitude was really only a response to how people treated him. He came to Stars Hollow against his will, so naturally there was some hostility in him. But see, the thing is that despite people's resentment towards him, he stayed in Stars Hollow and only went back to New York when he was blamed for something he didn't do. And then, for God knows _what_ reason, he _came back_ and he _tried_ to change, but again he was treated terribly…still, he stayed.

"If he were alive and standing in front of me, I'd tell him… Well, I'd tell him that I owe him my _life_ because the truth is he died protecting me. But he's not alive and that hurts a lot inside of me because I'll never be able to discuss books with him or talk to him at all. I won't be able to see his face again or spend time with him. But I think what hurts most is that I've been living in denial about my _true_ feelings for Jess. Yes, I was his girlfriend, but things became strained and awkward between us…I never got the chance to say…because the truth is that…" Rory hesitated. No matter what she said right now, things would change.  

She stared out at the crowd as they looked up expectantly at her. She saw her mom's face, full of questions and concern…She saw Luke's face, full of confusion…She saw Lane's face, full of understanding, knowing, and predictions…And then she saw Dean's face. Dean—her first love. And now she was about to let out what she felt. 

_"Love is a leap…"_, Rory remembered from _Kate & Leopold_. She knew she had to make a choice. 

Rory took a deep breath and made that leap. "…the truth is that I loved him."

Gasps and whispers filled the air as the people considered what Rory had just said. Good-girl Rory loved Jess, the bad boy they had grown to know. They didn't know why it was so surprising. Rory and Jess were a couple. It was natural. But no one expected them together. Rory looked back at Dean and saw his emotionless face. Tears filled her eyes as she concluded, "And he's never going to know…" Rory broke off. She turned around and just walked away, ignoring the stunned faces of the people she had known practically _forever_. Rory felt as if she was turning her back on them as she walked away, blinded by her choice.

* * * * *

Rory kept walking, not knowing exactly where she was headed. Her words played like a never ending commercial in her head. 

_"…the truth is that I loved him…"_

She had never said that about anybody except for Dean. Jess was dead though. What difference would it make if she proclaimed it now? Jess would never hear it…He would _never_ hear it…

"Hey." Rory looked up. It was Dean.

"Oh, hi," she said. 

"I thought I'd find you here."

Rory looked around and realized that she was on the bridge where she and Jess spent most of their time. The bridge where they had confessed their feelings for each other the night of the dance marathon. The night where Dean had dumped her.

"Yeah, well…"

He cleared his throat. "That took courage. What you said."

Rory looked down at the water. "I can't believe he's dead."

"Yeah…" Dean said standing next to her. "Neither can I."

At that moment, Rory wanted to cry. But she couldn't. She felt out-cried. She just stood there. Silently. And at that moment, she made another decision—

"I'm going to New York," she said out loud.

"What? Why?"

"I want to find the person who killed Jess."

"But you don't know who it is. Besides, the police would've found the person already, what with the information you gave them."

Rory gulped guiltily. "I didn't tell them everything," she confided. 

Dean nodded knowingly. "Go then." She looked at him. "He meant a lot to you," he said difficultly. "Go ahead."

"Thanks…"

"Do you want me to come with you?"

She shook her head. "No, I've gotta do this myself."


	5. Escape

TitleSecrets & Lies (Chapter 5Escape)

by KiNGz-Fan-16 

Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, I don't own _Gilmore Girls_, nor do I have the intention of. The show belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino, although I have to say, _Gilmore Girls_ is the best show!!! 

Rating: PG…I think. Oy with the poodles already, I'm not good with ratings!

Summary: Rory was there on the night of Jess's death, but when she thinks back to that night, her mind is a blur. She then goes on a search to find the guy who killed Jess, but she discovers shocking news that leads her to rethink everything…

*~*

Rory sat quietly on the bus, washed away by her memories. Everything that had happened was all a blur. One moment she was sitting on the bridge, talking to Dean, the next moment she was writing a "see ya later" note to her mom and boarding the next bus to New York.

The bus halted to a stop and Rory looked at up. This was her stop. Wherever _this _was…

She got off and looked around. _Oh great, what am I going to do now? Walk around and ask random people random questions?_ she thought angrily. All she knew was that she was in Jess's old neighborhood. Rory looked around and saw that a bunch of high school girls were walking down the street. 

She quickly ducked behind a trashcan. As they walked past, she overheard part of their conversation. 

"Can you _believe_ what happened? I knew Jess was gonna get himself killed!"

"All the guys _know_ its trouble when they mess with R-C's girl."

"Does Cheryl know?"

"Not that I know of. Maybe we should head to Kikki's and tell her."

"Not when she's at work!"

"But Kikki's is two blocks back!"

"Let's just forget about it. I don't think she needs anymore pain. Not after R-C tried killing her."

The rest of the conversation was drowned out as the girls walked farther away. 

Rory got up and immediately headed two blocks in the opposite direction the girls were walking from. She looked around and saw a sign for Kikki's Diner. _That's gotta be it_, she thought and crossed the street to where she knew she was a step closer to finding the truth.


	6. Meeting

TitleSecrets & Lies (Chapter 6Meeting)

by KiNGz-Fan-16 

Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, I don't own _Gilmore Girls_, nor do I have the intention of. The show belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino, although I have to say, _Gilmore Girls_ is the best show!!! 

Rating: PG…I think. Oy with the poodles already, I'm not good with ratings!

Summary: Rory was there on the night of Jess's death, but when she thinks back to that night, her mind is a blur. She then goes on a search to find the guy who killed Jess, but she discovers shocking news that leads her to rethink everything…

*~*

Rory walked into Kikki's Diner slowly and sat down at the counter, trying to look at the nametags the different waitresses were wearing. She needed to find Cheryl. 

"Can I help you?"

Rory looked up and saw a red-haired girl standing in front of her. She quickly glanced at her nametag and saw that the girl's name was Amika.

"Can I help you?" Amika repeated.

Rory cleared her throat. "I was wondering if Cheryl was here?" 

"Yeah, lemme get her. Are you a friend?"

"Yeah, from school." 

Amika stared at Rory strangely. "Cheryl doesn't go to school," Amika said slowly. "Are you sure you know her? What do you want?"

"Uh…" Rory stammered. "I'm actually a friend of a friend. If I could just have a moment—"

Amika just stared at Rory. "You're not from around here are ya?"

"How'd you know?" 

"Cuz you use phrases like, 'If I could just have a moment'," she said grinning. Rory grinned back. "I'll get Cheryl."

A minute later, a short girl with black hair stepped out of the back. She walked over to Rory. "Heard you wanted to talk with me? I'm Cheryl and I was just getting off of work so if you could hurry up—"

"Jess is dead," Rory blurted out.

Cheryl paused. "What?" she asked. "No, that's not right…I just heard from him last week! I…I…" Cheryl shook her head. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Rory said softly. 

"Who are you?" Cheryl asked.

"Oh, I'm Rory. I'm…I mean, I _was_ Jess's girlfriend. In Stars Hollow."

Cheryl nodded and slowly smiled. "He talked a lot about ya."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Ever since he got to Stars Hollow. All his emails were about 'this amazing girl'…It was always 'I talked to Rory today…' or 'I saw Rory today…'…He really liked ya."

Rory felt her eyes began to water up and blinking back tears, she managed to ask, "So you knew him pretty well, huh?"

"Yeah, we dated for a little bit but he up and left this dump and moved to Stars Hollow. That was cool. We stayed tight though." She paused and asked, "How'd he die?"

"Somebody shot him," Rory answered quietly. "Somebody who had something against Jess. Somebody who mentioned that it had to do with you."

"Oh no…" Cheryl sighed. "R-C," she muttered.

"I'm sorry…But who's R-C?"

"That's what we all called him. His name is Randy Carlson. He's this tough guy that I used to date too. But when I dumped him, he didn't wanna let me go, so he was all jealous and angry at the other guys I dated after him, including Jess. I think he particularly hated Jess cuz Jess was the only one who didn't break up with me after R-C threatened him."

"He came to Stars Hollow…And it was a couple nights ago at the diner. I was waiting for Jess and he comes in and holds the gun at me. Jess tries to save me, but he didn't save himself. He…" Rory stopped and swallowed hard. 

"Listen, I had no idea that Jess was dead and if I'd known I'd have shown up at the funeral and all…I'm really sorry and I'm just as much as shocked as you. But I'm betting it was R-C," Cheryl said as she turned around to get a glass of water for Rory. "He's got a bad temper like that."

"You mean me?" 

Rory and Cheryl both turned around. It was who Rory could only guess was R-C himself.


	7. Truth

A/N: I'd like to apologize for killing off Jess. I needed the angst! LOL…Again, sorry Jess lovers. Don't get me wrong—I love Jess too, but this story screamed angst and that's what I live for. =) Happy reading!

TitleSecrets & Lies (Chapter 7Truth)

by KiNGz-Fan-16 

Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, I don't own _Gilmore Girls_, nor do I have the intention of. The show belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino, although I have to say, _Gilmore Girls_ is the best show!!! 

Rating: PG…I think. Oy with the poodles already, I'm not good with ratings!

Summary: Rory was there on the night of Jess's death, but when she thinks back to that night, her mind is a blur. She then goes on a search to find the guy who killed Jess, but she discovers shocking news that leads her to rethink everything…

*~*

"R-C," Cheryl said simply. 

"So you know Mariano's dead," R-C said. He smiled and zeroed in on Rory. "Shame, isn't it?" he asked mockingly. 

"It _was_ you," Rory whispered. "You really hated him that much?"

R-C looked genuinely taken aback. "Me? I don't kill."

"What?" Rory asked. "B-but—"

"Now," R-C interrupted. "I don't deny being there the night he _did_ die though."

"You killed him," Rory stated. "It's a simple as that. You killed him."

R-C shook his head. "You're really blind aren't you?" 

Cheryl looked at R-C. "You've always had a grudge against Jess. You said you were there when Jess died."

"Oh, and I was." R-C took a step towards the counter. "I was there. But it wasn't me who killed that punk." He turned to Rory and said straightforwardly, "You did."

"What are you talking about," Rory asked slowly. "I remember the night clearly. You had the gun to my head. Jess lunged at you and knocked you down. Then…the gun…It fell to the floor and you grabbed it—"

"Creating a lie for yourself, aren't you?" R-C demanded. "Think about it. What do you _really _remember? You remember the gun falling to the floor."

"I remember the gunshot," Rory recalled. "Jess falling down dead. And you—Running out the door."

"The gun fell to the floor and then you remember a gunshot." R-C grinned a half-grin. 

"You shot the gun!" Rory exclaimed. "Who else was there?!" 

"Think," R-C suggested as Rory closed her eyes and tried to recall that night. "Think hard…"

***

"Rory!" Jess called. He was pinned against the wall. 

Rory got up from the ground and grabbed the gun that was lying abandoned on the floor. Aiming it carefully she pulled the trigger, just as the stranger pulled away and out the door…

***

Rory's eyes flew open immediately and Cheryl and R-C saw that there were tears flooding her shocked and alarmed orbs. "No," she whispered.

R-C leaned forward. "You pulled the trigger," he said quietly. "You killed Jess. You—"

Tears fell silently down her cheeks as she pushed her way past R-C, out the door, and onto the busy streets of New York. 


	8. Author's Afterward Note

TitleSecrets & Lies (Chapter 8Afterward: Author's Note)

by KiNGz-Fan-16 

*~*

"…Tears fell silently down her cheeks as she pushed her way past R-C, out the door, and onto the busy streets of New York…" 

* * * * *

The story has ended…

I know, it's probably a crappy ending but it's a cliffhanger. Think of it as one of those annoying season finales that just leave you hanging…Or one of those finales that say isn't the end of the show but you find it next season that it is.

Many people had complaints about this story about Jess being killed, and I'm sorry about that. Yes, the story is incredibly morbid, but the ending is a twist, which I'm famous for writing (you should see my computer packed with documents of angst-ridden / cliff-hanging stories that I should get around to posting soon!). 

Thanks for reading "Secrets & Lies"!__


End file.
